Obsidian. (Book 1)

Chapter 6

I whip my head back, head-butting my assailant. His grip loosens—I break free—he snatches the balaclava right off my head. He catches a glimpse of my face. Shit! I swoop under a right hook, launching a fist into his gut, he doubles over. Jumping off of my back leg, I take him down with a crescent kick.

I race out of the room, leaving my shadow behind.

"Damn sis!" Calum whoops into my ear. "You just Shang-Chi his ass!"

"Not now!" I scream. "Get me the hell out of here."

"Second tango, straight ahead."

My ears hone in on the staccato of clomping boots swelling from the front and from behind. The second one emerges in the archway. I keep running. He charges at me like a bull and I'm just covered in red. I glance up at the ceiling. Instincts override my fear, and training aids with proficient execution. I propel myself into the air, gripping the steel bar grafted into the ceiling. With the generated momentum, I swing my body, thrusting my combat boots into his chest—his back smacks the ground—I let go and my boots hit the floor, inches from his head.

"Third bogey at your nine-o'clock. Go right."

I throw myself right.

"Left."

I flee to the left.

"Gaza's crew must be minutes out." His fear-drenched holler rattles my skull. "Hurry up!"

Shortly I reach the living room area by the back entrance from where I entered from. I hurl myself right out of there. I spring over the railing, speeding down the pier and making my way out of the docks. Adrenaline inundating my system like a drug. The recon van outside, ready for exfil; headlights on, engine grumbling. The side door wide open. I fling myself inside and the van bolts forward, shooting down the road. Fumbling my way to the open door. I slam it shut, wobbling over to the front and collapsing into the passenger seat, jerking  the seatbelt until I hear that click sound.

"You're amazing—"

"Never tire of hearing it."

"—as you are stupid! Let me finish next time."

He makes a series of sharp turns, tyres screeching into the night.

Calum shakes his head like he's neck is broken. "I hope it was worth it. I really do. Because they now know that someone was watching them. Now we got a bunch of spooked, top-tier criminals probably on the hunt for the leak that compromised their covert meet. I obviously erased the footage—"

Sudden dread obliterates my verve. "Crap." I shove my fingers into my hair, coiled by the curls. "Uh, crap."

"Crap?" Calum's head snaps to the side repeatedly, casting feverish glances at me. "Crap what? Shit, what did you do?"

"Besides stealing from one the most feared cartel bosses in the world?" I rip out my hands to stare back at him. "One of his men... he saw me."

Once he takes full notice of my visible appurtenance. His one hand throttles the top part of the wheel, repeatedly, his other white-knuckling around it.

"You're so screwed—we're so screwed!" He checks the rear-view mirror again, shaking his head. "We got to move...that's it. We'll live under a new alias. Just me and you—move somewhere he'll never find us."

"Do you know Elon Musk? Because then we'll need a rocket to mars." Sarcasm coats every word. "Because you know there is nowhere on God's green earth that they can't find us. Every witness set to testify against him, relocated across the globe, has turned up DOA."